The Benefit
by Microsuede Mouse
Summary: Jake and Cassie have to attend a museum benefit - undercover as a couple, of course (thanks Ezekiel) - and keep an eye on some important people while Flynn and Ezekiel retrieve some artifacts from the museum's newest collection. They did not, however, anticipate Cassandra's parents being in attendance.


Here's another one that turned out way longer than anticipated. I like it though, and I hope you do too! I'm really, really enjoying writing these two. Pretty sure there's lots more to come.

Quick plug: started a Librarians sideblog on tumblr, mouseintheannex. Mostly reblogs right now but I'll start posting more of my own content tomorrow I think? (I know I plugged this in my last fic but for real I wanna talk to people about this show. I won't bring it up again, ahah.)

Okie dokie, that's all from me. Cheers. [finger guns]  
[cross-posted to AO3]

* * *

Jake Stone was antsy. He was never wild about dressing formally for a case – he didn't hate it, but a suit and tie never felt _quite_ natural. The necktie he'd borrowed from Jenkins felt so close to his neck, but Eve had vetoed his bolo. He knew the thing was a little cheesy, but at least it was _familiar_. Not quite right for such a classy event in New York, though, apparently.

Worse than the outfit, however, was the totally passive role this case required of him. The interesting work in this case was all going to Flynn and Ezekiel. They were going to break into the museum's new exhibit and get their hands on the artifact, then grab two more things from the museum archives. Eve was going to be waiting in the staff-only back hallways in case Flynn and Ezekiel needed backup or a Plan B. And it was up to Jake and Cassandra to do the most boring part: attend the big benefit and schmooze.

Eve and Flynn tried to reassure him that the job was important. He and Cassandra had to keep an eye on all the bigwigs to make sure no one left and caught the others before the job was done. They also had to pay extra attention to the archaeologist who was in charge of the new exhibit – one Dr. August Demming. Flynn had run into Demming more than once before and long suspected that the man knew things about magic he shouldn't. If he had any idea the significance of the objects he'd brought back to New York, he was likely to be checking on them often. Jake didn't really believe that this was all that important a task – in fact he wondered if it was being given to them just because it was the first case in a few weeks and the others didn't want him and Cassandra to feel left out – but it did have one perk: the two of them got to spend an evening out together. It certainly wasn't his first choice of things to do with Cassandra on a Saturday evening, but he'd happily take whatever time with her he could get.

She stepped into the Annex wearing the same little blue-green dress she'd worn with Jenkins on that devil-contract case last year, her hair curled attractively, a short-sleeved black bolero around her shoulders and blue flats on her feet. (She had already mentioned to him that the last time she'd worn heels all evening her ankles had been sore for a day and a half.) A subdued little black purse hung from her left shoulder. If it weren't for the bright and cheery colour of the dress she would look almost too blandly tasteful to be herself, but then she smiled brightly at him and he smiled back, seeing that familiar Cassie shining through the formal outfit.

"Hey, look at us!" she said cheerfully, reaching up to smooth his collar. The shirt he wore under the black jacket was almost a perfect match for her dress, and the tie Jenkins had given him was jet black silk with an intricate, almost lacy pattern of royal blue. "We match so well!"

"And what a handsome pair you are," Eve told them from her perch on the edge of the desk she shared with Flynn, where she was reviewing a floor plan of the museum one more time.

"Thank you!" Cassandra said with a grin.

Ezekiel came into the room then with a bundle of papers for each of them; he'd been busy making sure they'd be able to get into the benefit. Forged invitations, fake credentials as important minds – he had even set up enough of an online presence that either of them could be googled and their "work" would come up. Jake was easy, since he'd finally started to publish some work under his own name. Ever since Flynn had blown their cover on a case some months back by calling Eve by her real name, they had forgone fake names whenever they could, and tonight it was low-enough stakes that that would be fine.

"Okay," Ezekiel told them both as they shuffled through the papers he'd given them. "Don't lose the invites, those get you in the door. Once you're in there'll be name badges for the attendees, but they won't have any for you two. But I hacked into the system and put you on the guest list, so just tell 'em to have a look and they'll think it's all their fault. After that you should be clear of security and ready to roll." He turned to Jake. "Dr. Jacob Stone, art historian. In your online profiles I stuck to the things you've already published under your own name so keep to that as your area of expertise. You got your doctorate at Rice University in Texas. Since then you've been travelling and rarely staying in one place long." Ezekiel rotated to face Cassandra. "Dr. Cassandra Cillian, astronomer and astrophysicist. You completed your PhD at Berkeley and you study new galaxies. You spent a few years at the observatory in Hawai`i, a few in Chile, and then you came back to the States and took up residence at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona."

"Ooh!" Cassandra was bouncing up on the balls of her feet. "This is so exciting. It's cool having a 'doctor' before my name!"

"You deserve it," Jake told her with a smile, entertained to see her so enthused about her cover story.

"I tried to make it interesting for you," Ezekiel admitted, grinning and rolling his eyes a little at the same time. "Anyway, here's the important bit. Arizona is where the two of you met – Jake, you were studying Tohono O'odham basketry at the same time that Cassandra was at KPNO. You were introduced by a colleague of Cassandra's whose wife was helping with Jake's research, and you hit it off immediately. That was two years ago and now you're engaged and living in New York while you plan for the next few years." Now he grinned again, enormously, as he watched their faces.

"Engaged?" Jake managed to sputter. "Is that necessary?"

If possible, Ezekiel's grin grew even wider. "Just lending some credence to your cover. Making it all simple enough to remember but detailed enough to sound real." He held up his index finger in front of Jake's face, a diamond ring resting on his fingertip.

"Gimme that," Jake growled, snatching the ring. Ezekiel, finished with his recap, then bowed away – still sporting an absolutely shit-eating grin – and left to finish his preparations.

" _Engaged_ ," Jake grumbled again, staring at the ring in his fingers, but then he heard Cassandra stifle a giggle next to him. He glanced over at her, quirking an eyebrow, and she bumped shoulders with him.

"Come on," she teased. "It's not that bad. It'll be fun! It's just a game of pretend for a few hours, where you get to be the respected art historian you deserve to be, and I get to talk about space, and we just have to pretend to be engaged while we're at it. We won't even have to do very much, it's not like this is the kind of event where you'd see much PDA."

He huffed, trying to stay grumpy, but she bumped him again and he cracked a little smile. "Only 'cause it's you, Cassie," he muttered, shaking his head a little as he gave in. "I'm still considerin' knockin' Jones around a bit when this is over, though. You want this?" He held up the ring.

Playfully she offered him her left hand, and he shook his head again, smiling. With a defeated little sigh he took it and slid the ring onto her finger. "Wanna get hitched, Dr. Cillian?"

"Sounds like a plan, Dr. Stone," she answered with a laugh.

Flynn came careening around the corner from the hallway and slid into the Annex. "Everybody ready?" he asked, looking excited.

"Just about," Eve answered, hopping off her desk. "I think we're just waiting on Ezekiel."

"Jenkins!" Flynn called, raring to go. "Dial us up a door!"

x

Jake and Cassandra had been inside the exhibition hall at the New York State Museum for about twenty minutes, champagne flutes in hand. There had been a little fuss as some very apologetic staff made them up last-minute name tags, but now they were in and looking around, trying to get eyes on Dr. Demming and all the other major players. Arm in arm, they walked casually around the room, exchanging pleasantries with guests and pretending to look at the pieces on display, but really paying more attention to the people. Tiny earpieces, designed by Ezekiel after Flynn got the last communication stone broken, rested in their ears in case of emergency, but the volume was turned low and they could hardly hear anything over the sound of conversation in the room.

Once they had a handle on the room, they actually did stop to look at something – an enormous, ancient-looking urn on a pedestal near one corner of the room. Cassandra listened with interest and a broad smile as Jake started talking about the urn, it significance, the imagery sculpted in relief on its sides. Still holding his arm, she leaned into him slightly, letting herself focus on him entirely for a moment. She loved listening to him talk about art; he was so passionate and knowledgeable, and she wanted to soak it up like a sponge. The moment was broken all too soon, however, when a horribly familiar flash of fading red hair caught the corner of her eye.

Jake had been enjoying the feeling of Cassie leaning into his side and listening intently when she suddenly went very stiff. Immediately he stopped talking and looked at her, then followed her line of sight. Out in the middle of the room, he saw a tall, strait-laced couple who must have been in their late fifties or so, though healthy. He was narrow and angular, all crisp lines and neat folds, his white hair combed flawlessly and cufflinks shining; square-framed glasses sat before hard, dark eyes. She was slim and dressed in a kind of brutally severe fashion, with a fastidiously neat black dress and dark pantyhose, sharp-heeled shoes of a fairly sensible height, and a white silk scarf tied very precisely around her neck. She looked more like she had calculated the outfit than chosen it. And her hair, impossibly tidy, not so red any more but once upon a time it might have been as bright as…

"Cassie?" he asked softly. "That's not…?"

"Why are they here?" she whispered back, turning to look at him with considerable alarm. "What are my parents doing here?"

Without hesitation, Jake pulled Cassandra around behind the urn display, then, glancing around, tugged her further around the edge of the room into a fairly protected nook between a tall, wide display and the fire exit. "What are my parents doing in Albany?" she was still saying, gripping his arm hard. "I've never known them to even leave the island if they can avoid it! Why the hell would they be _here?_ "

"Cassie," Jake said. He took her champagne out of her hand and put it down with his on a lip on the back of the display case. "Do we need to leave?"

When he put his hands on her shoulders, she met his eyes and seemed to return to earth for the first time. "I- I don't-"

"Do we need to leave?" he repeated emphatically. "If you don't wanna see 'em, we'll leave."

"There's a job to do," she answered stiltedly.

Jake shook his head. "Don't care," he said. "We were given a pity job anyway, the others can do this just fine without us. You say the word and we're outta here in five minutes."

She bit her lip, staring at him wide-eyed. "I don't know…" she said slowly. "Do you think we can avoid them all night?"

"If you wanna try, I'll do everythin' I can to make it happen," he answered, eyebrows raised.

"God…" she ran a hand down her face. "I'm so confused, why are they even here?"

"It's a donor event. You ever know 'em to donate to museums?"

"I guess once in a while, but never this far from home. I can't imagine why they'd expand all the way out here unless they… specifically thought it would make them look good." Cassandra shook her head. "Doesn't make much sense."

"Whaddaya wanna do?" he asked again. "This is up to you, Cassie."

She looked into his face again. He was so concerned for her, so supportive. She knew he understood her relationship with her parents but it still took her aback a little to hear him offer to abandon a case just so she could stay away from them. Knowing she had that kind of support in her corner gave her a strength she didn't know she could have in the face of her family. "No, let's stay," she said quietly. "We told Flynn and Ezekiel we'd do this and we shouldn't leave just because…" she took a deep breath.

"We can try to avoid 'em," he told her. She nodded. "An' if you change your mind, you just lemme know, and I'll get you out of here. You don't have to talk to 'em, you don't have to see 'em," he assured her.

Suddenly she dove into Jake's chest and hugged him hard. He held her close and rubbed her back for a minute, letting her squeeze as tightly as she needed while she tried to steady her breathing. Who cared if his jacket got wrinkled? He put his face in her hair and breathed evenly, letting herself match her breathing with his, until finally she pulled away. He gave her a look that asked, ' _you're sure?_ ' She nodded and picked up her champagne again, downing the second half of the glass.

"Before we go back out," she said. "Jake, I haven't talked to them in… a long time. Almost two years. They think I work in a library, but like, a regular library, obviously. And um… they don't know about the surgery."

"You didn't contact 'em at all?" he asked in surprise.

"I didn't see why I should," she answered, a little self-righteously. "They dropped me like a sack of bricks after I was diagnosed. Checked in only as often as the most basic courtesy dictates after I moved out. I don't think it's their business anymore."

"I agree," he told her, nodding. "I was just surprised. Didn't picture you as someone who'd do that. But," he added, making sure she knew he was serious, "I'm proud o' ya."

"Thank you," she said softly. They stared at each other a moment, a silent understanding passing between them, part recognition, part resolve, part mutual support. Then she said, "Okay, let's go."

Jake took Cassie's arm and led her calmly back out to the floor. Finishing his own champagne as well, he left their empty glasses on a table and they carried on with their slow circuit of the room. Having been distracted for several minutes, they glanced around to make sure that everyone they were meant to be watching was still present, and then Jake focussed on directing their route in order to avoid being in view of her parents.

They had managed, so far, to mostly avoid being stopped for any extended conversation, by virtue of not actually knowing anyone in attendance. However, their luck eventually turned when an older gentleman in enormous glasses and a grey suit caught sight of Jake's name tag. "Dr. Stone!" he said in surprise. "I had no idea you were on the guest list for this evening! I am _such_ a fan of your work on Dutch Colonial architecture!" He glanced between Cassandra and Jake and then smiled. "I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Conrad Mason." He extended a hand.

Taking the proffered hand, Jake smiled broadly. "Dr. Mason, it's a pleasure." He glanced questioningly at Cassandra, but she could only smile and wave at him to carry on. She couldn't tear him away from a conversation like this, even though she was anxious; she had heard him speak admiringly of Mason's work and knew how much he valued opportunities like this.

Dr. Mason glanced between them again. "Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Yes, of course," Jake answered, looking back up. "My fiancée wasn't feelin' so well earlier, but everythin's fine now. Darlin', this is Dr. Mason, I believe I've told you about his work on historic buildings in Washington?"

"Yes, of course," Cassie answered, taking the man's hand. The older man had a sort of charm about him, a little bit offbeat and rather kindly.

"Dr. Mason, this is my fiancée, Dr. Cassandra Cillian," Jake finished the introduction smoothly. It was the first time he'd had to break out their full cover story, and it still made him feel strange, but he was pulling it off.

"A delight," Mason told her with a friendly wink. "What do you study, Dr. Cillian?"

She lit up. "I split my time between astronomy and astrophysics," she explained excitedly. "In particular I've been doing research on new galaxies over the last few years. It's such exciting work."

"Oh, heavens, I'm afraid that's a bit over my head," Mason said with a laugh.

"Well over mine, too," Jake said affectionately, pulling her against his side and kissing the top of her head. "Absolutely fascinatin', though. She's a complete genius."

"Well!" Flustered, she swatted at him playfully. "I might say the same of you!"

Dr. Mason smiled widely at the pair as Jake rested his hand on Cassie's hip, arm looped comfortably around her back. "Goodness, aren't you two just a wonderful pair," he told them, clasping his hands. "I can't decide if I more want to ask when you're planning the wedding or how you met. Such an unlikely pair, yet clearly so well-matched."

Cassie and Jake exchanged a quick glance, trying to decide who should take lead. "We met a couple of years ago in Arizona," Cassandra said, surprising him by jumping in first. "I was working at Kitt Peak, and he was studying Tohono O'odham basketry. One of the women participating in his research was married to a colleague of mine, and it was the two of them who introduced us. It was funny, it took weeks to pin down a night for dinner – Calum kept telling me, 'oh, you have to meet this fellow my wife's been working with at the community centre.' I thought it was silly of him to be so insistent, I couldn't imagine what I would have in common with an art historian, but it turned out Calum and Jackie had us both pegged. We got along so well right off the bat, and everything's just flowed so naturally since then."

Jake smiled at her embellishments – she could get a little carried away with her imagination, but he didn't mind playing along. "I admit I thought Jackie was a little too insistent as well. She was so mischievous, I really thought she just wanted to set me up for the fun of it, but you gotta give credit where credit is due. She knew what she was doin'." He grinned at Cassie's head for a moment. "As for the weddin', we're still ironin' out the plans," he continued. "We were thinkin' June. Definitely summer; she's always loved the summertime. But, you know, there's so much plannin' to do, especially given our busy careers." At his comment about the summer, Cassie couldn't help smiling, casting her gaze down to the floor for a moment.

"Utterly delightful!" Mason said, beaming. "You do make a beautiful pair."

"Thank you, sir," Jake answered with a smile. "Very kind o' you to say."

Mason looked past Jake to his left for a moment, sidetracked by someone. Then he looked back to them. "Dr. Stone, Dr. Cillian, I'm so sorry, but one of my colleagues is trying to flag me down. It was just lovely to meet the two of you, though. Dr. Stone, if you have the time, you really must come find myself and Connie Reyes at some point this evening. I'm sure the two of us would just love to pick your brain for a few minutes about west coast architectural influences."

"I'd be happy to," Jake answered, shaking the man's hand again. "Great to meet you, too, Dr. Mason."

As Dr. Mason walked away, Cassie and Jake glanced up and around again, tallying their various targets. Still no one had left the benefit. "You got very into that cover very quickly," she murmured, a smile on her voice as she turned to face him more. "For the guy who was all wound up about having to be engaged."

"Yeah, well, gotta be convincin'," he mumbled back, not meeting her eye. He fixed his cuffs and ran a hand through his hair. "How's my tie?"

Cassandra reached up to smooth down his lapels, though he didn't really need it. "It's fi-"

"Cassandra?" asked a woman's deep voice, sounding more suspicious than anything else.

Out of the corner of his vision Jake spotted the speaker approaching from behind and he reacted as quickly as he could by grabbing Cassandra's sides, pulling her in close, and planting a kiss soundly on her lips. She barely had time to respond to what was the most unexpected and yet somehow most exciting kiss of her life before it was over. She'd felt a tug at the edge of her little jacket and just spotted him pocketing her nametag. Immediately she realized what he'd done: she hadn't been out of touch with her parents nearly long enough to earn a doctorate. He was protecting their cover, protecting _her_ cover.

Then, not missing a beat, he turned with her to face her approaching parents. The smile on his face was nothing like the genuine, eye-crinkling smile she'd come to know and love; if anything, she thought it reminded her of a customer service smile. Formal, not remotely real.

"Cassandra," her mother repeated. "What on earth are you doing here?" She wasn't looking at Cassie, though; she was looking with open skepticism at the man who had just been kissing her.

"Mother," Cassandra answered, hoping she didn't sound as breathless as she still felt. The kiss had knocked the wind out of her and her mind raced a mile a minute as she tried to figure out how much of their cover story was appropriate to use. "Father. I had no idea you were in attendance tonight. I thought you didn't much care for Albany."

"We don't," her father said flatly. "But the hospital is looking to strengthen bonds between scientific communities, and needed representatives. Answer your mother's question."

Jake didn't want to talk for her, but he could tell she was still working on what to say, so he jumped forward to buy her another moment. "She's here with me," he said, his tone cheerful but clipped. He wasn't even _trying_ to make his fake friendliness seem real. Cassie hadn't realized he could put on that kind of façade so easily: someone who doesn't like you and wants you to know it, but understands the need for etiquette under the circumstances. She hadn't realized he was _patient_ enough for that.

"Mother, Father, this is Dr. Jacob Stone," Cassandra introduced awkwardly, not quite meeting her parents' eyes. Jake couldn't help noticing the way she looked slightly downward, as though deferring to them. It infuriated him – not her behaviour, but the idea that her parents had done something to instill that behaviour – but he didn't show it. "Jacob, these are my parents, Drs. Cynthia and Alexander Cillian."

Neither of them extended a hand, so neither did he. Cynthia and Alexander exchanged glances, and Cynthia muttered, "At least it's a man." That infuriated Jake too, but again, he said nothing. They looked at Cassandra again. "He's not from your old hospital, is he? A doctor and a janitor, really…"

"No," Cassandra answered shortly. "We work together, at the library."

"Not that kind of doctor," Jake added, voice curt and smile tight. He kept a close arm around her, squeezing her side gently.

She looked at him briefly, thinking, and then made a split-second decision and turned back to her parents. "No, not that kind at all. He's here tonight as an art historian, but Jacob is an expert in art, history, literature and comparative literature, architecture, archaeology, mythology, Egyptology, and over ten languages as well." She raised her gaze to look her mother in the eye, a little defiant all of a sudden.

For a second, Jake was taken aback that she had memorized the full list of his fields. Then he saw that little lift of her chin, the glint in her eye, and he swelled with pride. If she was going to play it like that, he was happy to play along. "Well, darlin', don't sell _yourself_ short," he said. Looking up at her parents, he said proudly, "Cassie's quite a genius herself, I'm sure you know. From math to meteorology to engineerin' to theoretical physics, I have yet to see her stumped by anything. She's well on her way to a PhD through an accelerated program at Portland State." That last part was probably overkill, and hopefully they didn't know enough about the school to realize he was completely bullshitting them. But he couldn't boast about her real, far more impressive accomplishments, so he felt justified in making some up.

Cynthia arched an eyebrow. "And you work together… at a library."

"Yes," Cassandra answered, managing to maintain her mother's gaze. "It's got quite an impressive archive. We bring in all kinds of talent to assess the rarer items."

"Our boss has 22 degrees," Jake joked, his friendliness still icy cold. "Only the brightest minds pass his tests."

"Interesting," Alexander said, scrutinizing Jake through his glasses, and Jake got the distinct impression that the older man didn't find it interesting at all. "And the two of you seem… quite close."

"Yes, as a matter o' fact, we're engaged," Jake answered. He realized he might be getting carried away now, but he wanted these stony people to see someone worshipping their child like the incredible ray of sunshine that she was. He couldn't believe they could be so cold and critical towards their own daughter, and a daughter as brilliant as Cassie, no less. With his free hand he lifted her left hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, making sure they saw the ring. Earlier he had wondered why Ezekiel had bothered providing them one, especially one that was clearly not only real but very expensive, but now he was grateful.

Cassandra felt herself redden. After being swept into a full-on kiss only a few minutes ago, one that had set off veritable fireworks in her stomach, she wasn't sure why this one was the embarrassing one, except that it was so sweet and so obviously intended to prove a point to her hostile parents.

"Engaged?" Cynthia asked, raising her eyebrows. She seemed – amazingly – to bite her tongue, and Jake seethed at the realization that she couldn't believe someone would want to marry Cassandra. Instead there was a pause, and her mother asked, "Were you going to tell us?"

"Nope," Cassandra answered, her courage bolstered by Jake hugging her just a little bit tighter to his side. "Didn't think you'd be all that interested."

"We're interested that someone wants to put the time and money into a wedding, all things considered," her father said candidly. "I presume he knows about the tumour?"

Cassandra bristled, but Jake couldn't help taking that one. "I probably know more than you do," he answered, still wearing that polite fake smile, and Cassie had trouble keeping the appreciation off her face – that one wasn't even a lie, and somehow that made it so much better. "But I'll tell ya somethin' – I love 'er. And it'd all be worth it even if we were married just for one day."

One of Cynthia's eyebrows arched to an incredible new height. "Well. Do send us a save the date, I suppose. It's the sort of thing we ought to be there for, if we have the time."

Jake felt Cassie stiffen up for a moment, then draw herself up tall. "No," she said resolutely. Her parents shared a mildly surprised look. "We have our own family now. I have everything I need. I don't see any reason why we'd need you to be there."

Alexander Cillian's brow furrowed. "Now, listen, Cassandra-"

"Honey, I think we ought to let my parents get back to their evening," Cassandra said, still staring at her mother. "I don't want to tie up all their time. Weren't there some other people you wanted to speak with tonight?"

"You're absolutely right, darlin'," he answered. "We oughtta carry on an' let them do the same. Dr. Cillian. Dr. Cillian. Nice to meet you both." He gave each of them a curt nod, releasing Cassie from his side but taking her hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. Cynthia and Alexander watched with frosty skepticism as Jake and Cassandra turned and strode confidently away.

Jake kept a hold of her hand as they crossed the room. With a glance he noted that all of their targets were still present – he knew it was a pity job! – and finally, in a far corner, he turned to face her again. Kissing her forehead, he took her nametag out of his pocket and clipped it back onto her jacket. "You need anythin'?" he asked softly.

"Air, I think," she murmured back, her shoulders finally sagging.

"You got it." He looked around one last time and then led her back out the door where they'd entered, waving briefly to the security guards who had let them in in the first place. Still holding her hand, he walked silently with her down to the bottom of the steps outside, and finally they took a seat there on the stairs.

"How ya doin', Cassie?" he asked her gently.

She took a long, deep breath and released it slowly. "Okay, I think," she answered. "Like, shaken, but okay."

"I'm proud o' you," he told her immediately. "I ain't ever been so proud of anybody, I don't think."

She looked up at him and smiled, clearly still rattled. "Thank you for everything you did. You…" she laughed slightly. "You might've overdone it a little, but I really appreciated it."

"I meant every word I said," Jake said with a grin. Their eyes met for a moment and she looked like she might be about to ask a question, but suddenly they were interrupted.

"Cassandra!" It was Eve. Jake and Cassie got to their feet as she approached, Ezekiel and Flynn close on her heels. In a somewhat uncharacteristic move, Eve threw her arms around Cassandra's shoulders, and Cassie stiffened, taken aback. "I'm making it official, I'm your mother now. You don't have to talk to that woman ever again."

"What?"

"Earpieces and microphones, kid," Ezekiel said, pointing at his ear. "I don't think you two could hear us, but we could hear every word." At that he glanced quickly over at Jacob – a meaningful and just vaguely amused look that Jake didn't quite know how to interpret.

Flynn stepped up next to Eve and put a hand on Cassie's back. Clearing his throat, he admitted, "Eve had to stop Ezekiel and I from abandoning our job halfway through to come to your aid."

"Five minutes later we had to stop her from doing the same thing," Ezekiel continued.

Cassie reached up and hugged Eve back, putting her face in Eve's shoulder for a moment. "Thanks," she mumbled. Then she pulled back. "Jake had my back, though. Just having him there made it easier, and any time I couldn't quite speak for myself he jumped in."

"We heard," Eve answered, stepping back but keeping her hands on Cassandra's shoulders. "Still, I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I knew they were bad, Cassandra, but I would never have guessed…" she trailed off. "Do you want to go home? We're all done, let's go home."

Cassie glanced over her shoulder at Jake, who stepped up next to her again. "How about you guys go ahead. Get the artifacts back to the Library," he suggested, fairly certain he had read her expression properly. "I think we're gonna walk around for a few minutes, burn off a little steam. We'll catch up with you in a bit." She gave him a small, grateful smile, and he knew he'd picked right.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything, Cassandra," Eve said. "There'll be hot chocolate in the kitchen when you get back."

"Thanks, Eve," Cassie answered with a smile.

"I'll even leave you some marshmallows," Ezekiel offered. Usually he took them all for himself. Cassandra laughed, but she knew he was only half-joking.

"We'll be back soon," she promised. "Like Jake said, we just need to burn off the tension."

"We'll have Jenkins keep the door open," Flynn said as he tugged Eve gently away. He reached out to Cassandra and pulled her over to him for a moment, planting a kiss on the side of her head. Then he ushered Eve and Ezekiel away in the direction of the Back Door.

Once the others were out of sight in the dark spring evening, Jake took Cassie's hand again – not lacing their fingers this time, only holding loosely – and they began to walk slowly.

"Isn't there a park near here?" he asked.

"A few," she told him with a nod. "The closest one is this way." She paused, then said, "I'm sorry. You were going to talk to Dr. Mason again, and Dr. Reyes. I know you would've liked that."

"It's okay, Cassie. I'll email Mason and tell 'im we had to leave in a hurry. Ask if maybe I can talk with 'im another time."

She nodded slowly, and for a few moments they walked quietly. Finally he sighed, looked at the sidewalk, and said, "They were worse than I expected."

She looked over at him, but didn't answer.

"Not that I didn't believe what you told me," he explained quickly. "From everythin' you'd said about 'em, I already knew I didn't like 'em. I knew they were awful. But they just… I guess part o' me didn't believe anyone could look at you and really not see you. Any of you. It was like they were lookin' at a disappointin' investment, not a kid."

Cassie laughed a little bitterly. "From their perspective, that's exactly what I am," she said. "Everything about me was calculated. From when I was born – when they were in their best physical and financial condition to raise a child – to how they could maximise their time and resources for my success. That's why I'm an only child, too. Pour everything into one kid and you get the best possible result. But they couldn't calculate for my illness. When I was diagnosed, they looked at the facts. They calculated my chances. And they concluded that to continue spending resources on me was a waste."

"I'm sorry," he said earnestly, squeezing her hand. It was clear she was wound up. "You don't deserve that. You know that, don'cha? I can't imagine doin' anythin' less than everythin' in my power for you, in their shoes. Ain't they doctors?"

She sighed. "Yeah, but not the kind who care about you. The kind who care about the results. People trust them because they're great at what they do, not because they're great at people. They're not like Dr. Nassir. They're so…"

"Impersonal," Jake finished. She met his eye and nodded. They were just reaching the park now, and he didn't continue until they found a bench to sit on. "I'm no stranger to abuse, Cassie," he admitted softly, facing her. He still had one of her hands held gently in his, the other running through his hair. "But it was always personal. Always direct, an' delivered at close quarters. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone as cold as your parents. I had imagined them more like my Pop, but they ain't like him at all, an' that threw me for a loop a bit."

She gave a tiny, sad smile to the ground. "You didn't show it."

"All I was thinkin' about was showin' 'em what you're worth." He scooped both of her hands into his and held them, stroking the heels of her palms with his thumbs. "If there's anythin' I've learned about you in the last few years, Cassie, it's how strong you are, and you keep provin' even stronger an' stronger than I ever knew. I'm not sure I could ever have coped with family like that."

"I couldn't have dealt with what you did," she answered, meeting his eye again. "You know you didn't deserve it either. We both- we both deserve a lot better than what we got."

"You're damn right we do," he agreed. "What you said about havin' a family now – I think that's true. I think by now we're doin' pretty well for ourselves."

She smiled again, a little more this time. "Yeah, we are."

Jake was watching her thoughtful face in the light of a streetlamp and suddenly thinking again about the kiss he'd planted on her earlier. He'd had no time to think about it then, it had just been a reaction. But it was something he'd thought of doing a hundred times – every time sternly cut off, because that was no way to think about Cassie – and now he hated that it had gone so fast. He wanted nothing more than to do it again, but now didn't seem like the time.

As it happened, Cassandra was thinking of the kiss as well, and the one he'd gently placed on her hand a few minutes later. Her stomach fluttered violently at the memory. His hands were still wrapped around her own, resting on her cool bare knees, and she had to ask. Swallowing, she said stiltedly, "Jake, you – um – earlier, on the stairs. You… you told me you meant everything you said. To my parents."

"It's true," he assured her with a gentle smile. "You're amazin', an' a genius, an' you deserve-"

Anxious now, she cut him off, looking down at their hands. "You said – you told them…" she took a breath. "That you loved me, and it would be worth it to be married just for one day."

"Ah." Embarrassed, he looked away from her, staring into the night somewhere over her head and to the right. "Yeah. You ain't wrong. I did say that."

"So um – you – you meant that too?" Cassandra asked, watching his face.

"Well, I already told ya I did, Cassie," he agreed sheepishly, still looking away. "Not much sense in tryin' to claim otherwise now."

"And that kiss-"

"Meant that too," he confirmed with an awkward little nod.

"Jake?"

He dragged his gaze slowly back to her face; she was watching him carefully. When he finally met her eyes and stayed, she said quietly, "I love you, too." Then she took back her hands and put them on his neck, gently pulling him in and kissing him.

For a moment all conscious thought blipped out, but when he came back to himself his hands were on her face and she was still kissing him and it was the best thing he'd ever felt. Much later it would occur to him that in the past kissing had always been about superficial attraction and with Cassie it was a matter of having built a whole bond first, a matter of years of growing closer, a matter of being wholly in love with her and being loved wholly in return. He had never been kissed by someone who knew all his secrets.

"Cassie…" he murmured when she finally pulled away from him.

"It's getting cold out here," she said with a smile. "Can we go home? And talk over some hot chocolate?"

"We can do anythin' you want, darlin'," he answered in a bit of a daze. The dopey grin on his face made her laugh.

"Let's start with the hot chocolate," she said. She took his hand – fingers gently laced again – and pulled him off the bench. As they began to meander back in the direction of the Back Door, he shook his head, slowly returning to reality.

"Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow?" Jake asked.

Cassandra looked at his face for a moment. "Could we stay in instead?"

His smile only grew. "Girl after my own heart."

Unable to resist, she stepped in front of him and kissed him again. "You bet I am."

"It's all yours, darlin'."


End file.
